Rural Health
Resources by Type: Document
Enduring Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Food Access, Nutrition, and Well-Being in Rural Appalachia
Examines the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on a rural, Appalachian community in Kentucky. Utilizes focus group data from 39 participants to analyze ongoing issues such as social isolation, cost of living, and food access. Discusses how these issues affect mental health, access to needed medications, and ability to purchase nutritious food.
Author(s): Kathryn M. Cardarelli, Emily DeWitt, Rachel Gillespie, Nathan Bandy, Heather Norman-Burgdolf
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(5), 594
Date: 05/2024
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Examines the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on a rural, Appalachian community in Kentucky. Utilizes focus group data from 39 participants to analyze ongoing issues such as social isolation, cost of living, and food access. Discusses how these issues affect mental health, access to needed medications, and ability to purchase nutritious food.
Author(s): Kathryn M. Cardarelli, Emily DeWitt, Rachel Gillespie, Nathan Bandy, Heather Norman-Burgdolf
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(5), 594
Date: 05/2024
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VA Health Care: Additional Assessments of Mileage Reimbursement Data and Veterans' Travel Costs Needed
Provides an overview of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Health Administration's (VHA) mileage reimbursement benefit that reimburses eligible veterans for the use of personal vehicles to attend VHA-approved care. Explores the extent to which the benefit helps defray travel costs by describing the distance a veteran would have to travel to receive a non-zero reimbursement across a variety of conditions. Presents VHA data on veterans' use of the benefit from fiscal years 2010 through 2023, as well as fuel costs incurred and mileage reimbursement for hypothetical trips to 3 VA health systems by rurality. Offers recommendations to the VA and VHA on the collection and assessment of veterans' use of the mileage reimbursement benefit and how travel costs vary by subpopulations, such as rural veterans.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Provides an overview of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Health Administration's (VHA) mileage reimbursement benefit that reimburses eligible veterans for the use of personal vehicles to attend VHA-approved care. Explores the extent to which the benefit helps defray travel costs by describing the distance a veteran would have to travel to receive a non-zero reimbursement across a variety of conditions. Presents VHA data on veterans' use of the benefit from fiscal years 2010 through 2023, as well as fuel costs incurred and mileage reimbursement for hypothetical trips to 3 VA health systems by rurality. Offers recommendations to the VA and VHA on the collection and assessment of veterans' use of the mileage reimbursement benefit and how travel costs vary by subpopulations, such as rural veterans.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Senate Finance Committee Bipartisan Medicare GME Working Group Draft Proposal Outline and Questions for Consideration
Outlines draft policy proposals regarding the Medicare Graduate Medical Education (GME) program aimed at addressing healthcare workforce shortages. Proposals cover the distribution of Medicare GME slots to rural areas and key specialties, encouraging hospitals to train physicians in rural areas, the establishment of a Medicare GME Policy Council, GME data collection and transparency, and more. Includes questions for consideration on policies under consideration.
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Finance
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Outlines draft policy proposals regarding the Medicare Graduate Medical Education (GME) program aimed at addressing healthcare workforce shortages. Proposals cover the distribution of Medicare GME slots to rural areas and key specialties, encouraging hospitals to train physicians in rural areas, the establishment of a Medicare GME Policy Council, GME data collection and transparency, and more. Includes questions for consideration on policies under consideration.
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Finance
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For the Rural Curious: Mixed Methods Evaluation of a Rural Pharmacy Practice Elective
Discusses the impact of a rural pharmacy course offered at the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy to provide students with experience related to serving rural communities struggling with provider shortages. Includes survey data on student experiences and interest in working in rural areas following graduation.
Author(s): Timothy P. Stratton
Citation: BMC Medical Education, 24, 573
Date: 05/2024
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Discusses the impact of a rural pharmacy course offered at the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy to provide students with experience related to serving rural communities struggling with provider shortages. Includes survey data on student experiences and interest in working in rural areas following graduation.
Author(s): Timothy P. Stratton
Citation: BMC Medical Education, 24, 573
Date: 05/2024
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Association Between Characteristics of Employing Healthcare Facilities and Healthcare Worker Infection Rates and Psychosocial Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Analyzes associations between healthcare facility characteristics and healthcare workers' likelihood of COVID-19 infection, access to personal protective equipment, and burnout. Utilizes April 2020-May 2022 Healthcare Worker Exposure Response and Outcomes (HERO) registry data. Covers facility characteristics including for-profit status, facility size, metropolitan or micropolitan location, and more.
Author(s): Jay B. Lusk, Pratik Manandhar, Laine E. Thomas, Emily C. O'Brien
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 24, 659
Date: 05/2024
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Analyzes associations between healthcare facility characteristics and healthcare workers' likelihood of COVID-19 infection, access to personal protective equipment, and burnout. Utilizes April 2020-May 2022 Healthcare Worker Exposure Response and Outcomes (HERO) registry data. Covers facility characteristics including for-profit status, facility size, metropolitan or micropolitan location, and more.
Author(s): Jay B. Lusk, Pratik Manandhar, Laine E. Thomas, Emily C. O'Brien
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 24, 659
Date: 05/2024
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Veterans Affairs: Actions Needed to Improve Access to Care in the U.S. Territories and Freely Associated States
Examines how the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) estimates the population of veterans in the U.S. territories and freely associated states (FAS) to inform resource allocation and outreach needs. Describes how the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) monitors veterans' use of and access to healthcare services at VHA facilities in the U.S. territories. Discusses challenges veterans face in accessing VHA services in the U.S. territories and FAS and VA efforts to address these challenges. Offers recommendations to the VA and Department of Defense to assess the data sources in its model for estimating the veteran population and its travel benefits policies for territory veterans.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Examines how the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) estimates the population of veterans in the U.S. territories and freely associated states (FAS) to inform resource allocation and outreach needs. Describes how the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) monitors veterans' use of and access to healthcare services at VHA facilities in the U.S. territories. Discusses challenges veterans face in accessing VHA services in the U.S. territories and FAS and VA efforts to address these challenges. Offers recommendations to the VA and Department of Defense to assess the data sources in its model for estimating the veteran population and its travel benefits policies for territory veterans.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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MedPAC Comment on CMS's Proposed Rule on the Payment System for Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities for FY 2025
Comment on an April 3, 2024, Federal Register proposed rule revising the Inpatient Psychiatric Facility Prospective Payment System (IPF PPS) for fiscal year 2025. Includes a discussion of rural IPF PPS payment adjustments.
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Comment on an April 3, 2024, Federal Register proposed rule revising the Inpatient Psychiatric Facility Prospective Payment System (IPF PPS) for fiscal year 2025. Includes a discussion of rural IPF PPS payment adjustments.
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Cohort Profile: The Assessing Imperial Valley Respiratory Health and the Environment (AIRE) Study
Details a prospective cohort study focused on examining the respiratory health effects of childhood exposures to wind-blown particulate matter (PM) in a rural area of California. Utilizes 2017-2019 data to observe asthmatic symptoms and other health indicators across sociodemographic categories. Discusses the impact of PM on childhood health and the potential for geographic disparities.
Author(s): Shohreh F. Farzan, Elizabeth Kamai, Dayane Duenas Barahona, et al.
Citation: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, 38(4), 359-369
Date: 05/2024
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Details a prospective cohort study focused on examining the respiratory health effects of childhood exposures to wind-blown particulate matter (PM) in a rural area of California. Utilizes 2017-2019 data to observe asthmatic symptoms and other health indicators across sociodemographic categories. Discusses the impact of PM on childhood health and the potential for geographic disparities.
Author(s): Shohreh F. Farzan, Elizabeth Kamai, Dayane Duenas Barahona, et al.
Citation: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, 38(4), 359-369
Date: 05/2024
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Interoperable Exchange of Patient Health Information Among U.S. Hospitals: 2023
Presents data on the degree to which hospitals engage in the four domains of interoperable exchange - send, receive, find, and integrate - as of 2023 and describes trends between 2018 and 2023. Analyzes the frequency that non-federal acute care hospitals engaged in interoperable exchange by hospital characteristics, including hospital size, system affiliation status, rural or urban location, and Critical Access Hospital (CAH) designation. Describes hospitals' ability to exchange electronic health information with other providers across the care continuum and how clinicians use this information about the point of care.
Author(s): Meghan Hufstader Gabriel, Chelsea Richwine, Catherine Strawley, Wesley Barker, Jordan Everson
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
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Presents data on the degree to which hospitals engage in the four domains of interoperable exchange - send, receive, find, and integrate - as of 2023 and describes trends between 2018 and 2023. Analyzes the frequency that non-federal acute care hospitals engaged in interoperable exchange by hospital characteristics, including hospital size, system affiliation status, rural or urban location, and Critical Access Hospital (CAH) designation. Describes hospitals' ability to exchange electronic health information with other providers across the care continuum and how clinicians use this information about the point of care.
Author(s): Meghan Hufstader Gabriel, Chelsea Richwine, Catherine Strawley, Wesley Barker, Jordan Everson
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
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Chronic Cough Diagnosis, Treatment, and Referral Practices among Family Physicians in the United States: A Survey Study
Presents results of a survey of 588 family physicians on chronic cough management practices. Provides data on diagnosis, treatment, and referral, including breakdowns by years of practice and rural versus urban location. Discusses challenges associated with providing chronic cough care in rural primary care settings.
Author(s): Joel B. Shields, Elisabeth Callen, Natalia Y. Loskutova, Jonathan Schelfhout, Christina M. Hester
Citation: BMC Primary Care, 25, 181
Date: 05/2024
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Presents results of a survey of 588 family physicians on chronic cough management practices. Provides data on diagnosis, treatment, and referral, including breakdowns by years of practice and rural versus urban location. Discusses challenges associated with providing chronic cough care in rural primary care settings.
Author(s): Joel B. Shields, Elisabeth Callen, Natalia Y. Loskutova, Jonathan Schelfhout, Christina M. Hester
Citation: BMC Primary Care, 25, 181
Date: 05/2024
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